Why did the number of people recorded sleeping rough by the Downtown Community Ministry in Wellington increase from 145 to 163 between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026, as recorded in the Homelessness Insights report to 31 March 2026, despite Wellington being one of the four centres targeted by the five short-term actions announced in September 2025?

Answer

It is difficult to accurately estimate the number of homeless people. The causes of homelessness are complex and are often due to a range of issues that often require more than just a housing response. It is not possible to determine whether changes reported in the Homelessness Insights report reflect existing trends and broader economic and social contexts or are attributable to policy changes. The locally led short-term actions announced late last year have made a difference in the areas in which they have been delivered. For example, 35 additional social housing places provided for the Housing First programme have been tenanted in Wellington. Outreach services have been increased in Wellington, including in Petone and Porirua. Additional support services to enable providers to accommodate high and complex needs clients who were rough sleeping in transitional housing have also been contracted.